The night was damp with a rain so light it was more fog than water. A faint breeze rustled the forest, loose drops of water falling from the branches. A puddle rippled.

A voice spoke. "Are you sure–"

The rasping voice was cut short by another. "Shut it!" the second voice snapped. "Don't forget what happened in Nom."

"Not my fault," he said indignantly. "You didn't know about the Phantom Ninja either."

"If you two don't be quiet, I'll send you back to the damned realm you came from."

Both voices fell silent at the third's command.

The puddle rippled again.

"Someone else is here," said the third voice. "Spread out and search."

"On it."

"Of course."

The wind picked up, clearing a path through the mist. The moon peeked out from behind a cloud. The puddle slowly stilled.

A cloaked figure ducked down from the trees. He stood still for a few moments, then rose to his full height and went to the top of a hill at the edge of the forest.

The town below the slope was quiet. Only one building had a light on, the warm fire of a blacksmith's hearth. The stranger put one hand on a tree and watched the smoke rise into the night sky.

"We've got trouble!"

The figure turned around and leapt into the air, higher than human ability. He landed on a branch and disappeared among the leaves as his warrior darted into view.

The translucent man looked around, his form illuminating the clearing with a faint green, and reached for the chain on his back. "Where is he?" he growled. "Damn that–"

Before he could finish the curse, an armored mech flew down through the trees and crashed onto the forest floor. The ground trembled with the impact. A deep, distorted voice spoke from the mech's masked pilot. "Trouble, huh?" they said. "Are you up to no good?"

A tree rustled. The mech kept their sights on the ghost.

"Not like Nom," the ghost rasped behind his ragged hood. He raised his hands and summoned two long chains that dangled down to the ground, where their ends dissolved into ectoplasm. "We know about you, Samurai X."

"So you've heard of me," they said. "What brings a ghost to this village?"

"Careful, Wrayth." The second ghost materialized, weaponless, her face eyes glowing green. "We don't want to cause a commotion."

"Was this a stealth mission?" Samurai X said. "I couldn't tell."

Wrayth cracked the chain like a whip. The sound echoed through the forest. "I'm sure you won't tell anyone else, either," he said.

The mech drew a sword from their back. The chains moved before they could use it; one wrapped around their sword arm, and the other around the leg on the same side. Samurai X fell to one knee. They tossed the sword from one hand to the other in a quick, deft maneuver, and sliced through the chains effortlessly.

The second ghost watched the trees above them, her eyes emotionless. "Deal with this," she said to Wrayth, and darted deeper into the forest.

"Oh, sure," Wrayth said. "I'll catch up!"

He lashed out with the chains. This time they wrapped around the mech's body. Starting from Wrayth's hands, a green glow crept down towards Samurai X while Wrayth cackled.

Samurai X grabbed the chains with their free hand and pulled. Wrayth's laughter stopped abruptly as he was yanked down to the forest floor. On contact with the damp ground, his ectoplasm bubbled, and he shrieked in pain. He let go of the chains and they vanished.

"Didn't like that, huh?" said Samurai X. "You'll like this even less!"

They brought the sword down. It passed through his body with no effect.

Wrayth glared at her and rose back into the air. The side that hit the ground was visibly discolored. "Lucky shot," he snarled, summoning another chain that he gripped in both hands. "You never fought a ghost before, have you?"

"Can't say I have." Samurai X watched him carefully and kept their distance. "It was bound to happen eventually. Only the worst people are the ones to come back after death."

"Ha!" Wrayth swung the chain in a loop. "You don't know the half of it, blacksmith's girl!"

Samurai X froze. "How did you know–"

He whipped the chain forward. Samurai X stumbled backwards, and just as the chain coiled around the mech's hand, they fell over. Wrayth was pulled down with them. Thinking fast, Samurai X grabbed the chain and yanked hard, throwing Wrayth directly into a puddle.

The ghost let out an agonized cry before his body burst. Ectoplasm splattered across the ground and dissolved.

Samurai X picked themself up and listened. The other ghost had fled without care for her fallen ally. They could go after her, but they wouldn't know where to look–and they had no intention of getting caught off guard again.

They crouched down next to the puddle. There was nothing unusual about it, and no sign of the ghost. Not even the ectoplasm remained.

"Huh," they said. "Ghosts can't take water?"

They glanced down to the village and spotted the faint firelight. "Oh, crap!" they exclaimed. "Kai's gonna freak. Ugh!"

The mech stomped out of the forest and towards the outskirts of the village. The clouds moved in a distant wind and covered the moon.

It wasn't until the horizon shone with oncoming daylight that a girl returned to her family's blacksmith shop.